The Cure
by eyes of firelight
Summary: Sometimes, the cure may be found in the oddest of places - especially when matters of the heart are concerned. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away and never will. All credit goes to Hayao Miyazaki-the greatest anime genius ever.

Authors note: Hiya! This is my first ever fanfic. All reviews and criticisms are welcome!

Summary: Chihiro is now a high school student. But even as she tries to bury her childhood memories, the heart remembers what the mind chooses to forget - especially when a familiar new student shows up in her class.

Back in the spirit world, there is a new enemy with a deadly vengeance that is the root of Haku's problems. People think that a solution cannot be found, but they have all been looking in the wrong places.

* * *

Prologue

It was nearly midnight. The flame of the candle flickered once, twice. All was dark and peaceful. The silhouette of a young teenager was bent over the window sill, a mere shadow against the full moon outside. Her eyes took in the sights of the sleeping city, searching vainly for a place that she knew was gone to her. She let her mind wander and slowly, she fell into a sea of dreams filled with steaming bathhouses, witches, spirits and white dragons.

* * *

Chapter 1

As the family car slowly passed through town, Chihirofound her back unbearably stiff and gave into the urge of stretching herself across the backseat.

_Damn it! Nobody asked me to fall asleep at the window of all places!_

Luckily she had woken before her parents, or else who knows what a hell of a lecture they would've given her?

She groaned, knowing she was utterly doomed for the day. How the heck would she be able to stay upright through all those boring lessons with her sore back as an added bonus?

But as much as she wanted to ignore that fact, she knew that her mind was not really thinking about her physical state. It had instead chosen to linger on the scenes of her dream last night. They were like the pages of an old journal, torn and yellowed from too much reading, but still interesting enough to captivate. As it was, Chihiro often found herself lost in the wonderful world portrayed by the book. Lost has an essence of unwilling but uncontrollable and those were exactly what bound her to her unusual _inhuman _past. Chihiro did not want to relieve the memories chucked at the back of her mind, yet their childish sweetness would still surface and blind her all too frequently.

_Get a grip Chihiro! Those times are over for you!_

So instead, she stared and stared and stared at the scenery. Outside, the rising sun was casting its golden glows onto the welcoming trees, like a mother comforting its children and chasing away the blackness. Boisterous kids scurried around in the new warmth, grinning mischievously as playful pranks were played on one another while their oblivious parents began their busy day. Back in the car, Chihiro smiled softly. The world she was in right now was indeed beautiful.

_**But it pales in comparison to the spirit world**__,_ an uninvited voice added slyly in her head.

Chihiro tried to block it out by quenching her glares on some poor innocent trees along the roadside.

_**Of course, the ones in the spirit world are much greener though**__, _the voice chuckled.

Okay…how about mathematics then. One hundred multiplied by one hundred equals ten thousand.

_**Hmm…**_the annoying buzzing in her head pondered mockingly, _**I wonder if Kamajii has that many soot balls…… **_

Two hundred centimeters is equal to two meters—

_**I think Boh is **__**much **__**taller than that now**__— _

When the sum of all the digits add up to nine, the number is divisible by nine without any remainder ---

_**Okay, I give up. I have nothing to say to that**__, _the little voice sighed.

_Yes! That stupid annoying damned mind finally shut up, _Chihiro smirked triumphantly. But considering the fact that the 'stupid annoying damned mind' was actually a part of Chihiro, her statement was truly weird.

* * *

"Chihiro, we're here," her mother's voice snapped Chihiro awake.

"Ack! We're here already?!" she exclaimed.

"Well, your father is _still _finding a parking lot in this _awfully _crowded school of yours. But perhaps it's his horrible driving." Yuuko added as an afterthought. "But haven't you been paying attention, Chihiro?"

Chihiro scratched her head sheepishly. "Hee hee. I guess I was too busy daydreaming."

Her mother shook her head and said concernedly, "You've been doing that a lot recently. What's the matter? Is something bothering you, dear?"

"What? No! Of course not! Can't a girl daydream now and then?" Chihiro laughed nervously.

Inwardly she sighed. She had been keeping her time in the spirit world a secret from her practical parents for almost five years now, and it wasn't going to change then. The last time she let slip, they had stowed away all the candy in the house, putting the blame on 'an overdose of sugar'. Now, however, Chihiro was pretty sure her mother and father would just look at her as if she was an alien and cart her off to a mental hospital or somewhere equally awful. Even though that idea definitely did not appeal to her, it was somewhat difficult to shoulder her wistfulness alone at times as well; being completely aware of the fact that no one would understand you. Besides, why was she thinking about that anyway? Her thoughts must have shown a little on her face then, although her mother chose to interpret it the wrong way. As it was, Yuuko's remark instantly threw Chihiro off balance.

"Don't try to hide it from me, Chihiro dear. You are better off forgetting about that good-for-nothing guy," Yuuko said sternly.

"Huh?" _Oh no. She can't possibly… _

"Remember, sweetie, there are plenty of good guys in this world. Pick another one. He doesn't deserve you. If anything, he should be the one to mope over losing such a sweet girl!" Oh yeah. Unfortunately for Chihiro, her mother just _had_ to misinterpret her expression as boy trouble.

_**So much for being an understanding parent**_**, **her inner self smacked her forehead.

For once, Chihiro actually agreed with her irritating mind.

"Although I have to say that rejection or dumping as teenagers nowadays call it, is pretty much common. Don't get too worked up over it, dear. As I –" No doubt Chihiro was pretty disheartened to see that her oblivious mother was _still _babbling rubbish.

"Mom!" Chihirofinally gave in to the urge of stopping her mother. "It's not –"

"I understand if you don't want to talk about him. But don't think about going steady so soon okay?"

"Mom! Seriously! I'm not daydreaming about _that_!" the poor girl protested indignantly. _Seriously…_

"Let it go, Yuuko. Our poor Chihiro resembles an overripe tomato right now," Akio chuckled in the front seat.

* * *

School was pretty much normal that day. Well, if you count flying bombs (soccer balls) in the corridors, zombie-like teachers who actually didn't give a damn about their subjects (they were only paid to read from books), zooming tables and chairs in the classrooms (overly muscular pranksters with a twisted sense of humour), books thrown at the poor lecturers once the bell rang ( the Frisbee club anyone?), students who put on too much makeup that their faces resembled noh masks (*snickers* freaking geishas in high-school uniform), and the list goes on…( the pupils literally ruled the school) Typically, as the teacher was droning on about social communications and such (not that anyone was paying much attention- they've got exam purpose tape recorders™ for that), Chihiro was doodling on her worksheet, while playing rock-paper-scissors with her equally bored desk mate, while having a heated debate with her inner mind, _and _while ignoring the couples that were making kissy faces at each other. _Talk about multi-tasking…_

"Heeeello, anyone there?" Kana tapped lightly on Chihiro's skull.

"Yeah, a stupid annoying damned mind which I'm astounded is me," she drawled sarcastically.

Kana chuckled. "So, seen a psychiatrist yet? He might be able to cut off one half of you."

"Right, maybe split me into quarters in the process," Chihiro snorted.

Her friend let out a laugh, "It'd be a blast to see how you'd cope with it. Maybe you would become like those zombie teachers around; spacing out even more all the time with four different brains."

Chihiro was about to retort like she normally did when something about Kana's offhand remark clicked in her mind.

Said person noticed her friend's confused frown and smirked. "What? It's the truth. You've been staring into space for practically the entire week already, Chihiro. I'm beginning to think maybe you got smashed in the head or something."

So apparently it was that serious, though Chihiro couldn't understand why. Her reminiscing had faded considerably over the past months that Chihiro had begun to think that there was hope for her after all. That was until her high school entrance exams had passed and now she was stuck with the same nostalgic daydreams every day as when she was a child. Chihiro couldn't fathom it; really she couldn't. Where had it all gone wrong?

_**See, I told you so, **_the little voice chirped.

_Shut up, _Chihiro almost snarled out loud.

Her inner self bristled. _**Hey! I was only stating the obvious. **_

"Uh…Chihiro? Why are you growling?" Kana's voice dragged her back to reality.

"Huh?"

Kana sighed, "Never mind." She was looking at Chihiro with an expectant glint in her eyes.

"What?" Chihiro said.

Her friend sighed again. "I asked you a question, dummy."

"No you didn't," Chihiro deadpanned.

"Fine. I'll ask one now. What are you so preoccupied with?"

"Nothing." Chihiro said automatically.

"I don't believe you," said Kana flatly.

If Chihiro had learnt anything useful about social communications, it was that Kana was annoyingly persistent and curious. And so she had to prepare a counter line for almost everything her friend says.

"Do I even have a say in this?" Chihiro asked exasperatedly.

Kana shook her head firmly. She could be immensely iron-willed at times; especially when her friend's private life was concerned. Think it prying, or medaling, or whatever else; however, Kana was adamant that it was nothing but a mere obsession with thrilling gossips. Not that Chihirowould allow her to spread such rumors by the way - but it still gave her something to chew on in this boring school.

But the most unexpected-not to mention disappointing-thing happened. Chihiro _laughed_.

"Oh Kana-chan! I was just thinking about what to get for my mother's birthday! No need to get so worked up!" She grinned.

Kana was staring at her friend with a perplexed expression. Birthday…?

"Then what was with the drama just now?" Kana asked.

"To annoy you," Chihiro said simply and let out a fresh burst of laughter, though after a while, it sounded quite forced to Kana's ears. And that was when she realized it.

Kana was no fool. She had seen the way Chihiro's jaw muscles tightened at that statement and heard the false mirth in her laughter. And come to think of it…wasn't Yuuko's birthday party held just a few months ago? Though Chihiro was quite the convincing actress, Kana had known her too long for that to work. It had to be something serious for her friend to lie so blatantly; and obviously Chihiro did not want to talk about it. Kana glanced at her friend's smiling face and the deception behind it, and decided that she would let Chihiro off the hook this time.

When Kana let the skepticism slide off her face and returned to her work, Chihiro let out a breath she had not known was holding. She still wasn't sure if her friend had bought her lie for Kana was equally good-if not better-at hiding things; but at least she had not pressed for more and for that Chihiro was grateful. She was going to have to do some really long thinking tonight as it was time that decision was made.

* * *

Chihiro was perched on the window seat again, looking out into the silent night. Except this time, there wasn't any full moon to keep her company. The reflected light from it had diminished somewhat, leaving behind a dark empty space in the sky. Of course, those who hadn't witnessed the moon at its peak would never know the difference. But Chihiro knew that it would only get darker and darker every day, until it became a mere black hole to the eyes, then one day it would rear up and restore itself to its former glory once more. It was just a cycle, much like life itself. The full moon could not remain forever unwavering; but neither would the new moon dominate for all time.

Chihiro glanced at the gibbous hanging desolately against the dark backdrop again. Was her fate written like the phases of the moon? Her eyes shifted to the glittering violet hair band in her hands.

_Haku didn't keep his promise, _she thought idly. Chihiro paused at that and let out a soft sigh. Kami has she been sighing a lot lately.

_Well…I guess that just proves that I'm destined for this world after all. _

……

……_Well, you sure are silent today, _Chihiro thought dryly.

_**I'm just giving you time to think about it.**_

Chihiro snorted. _What are you, my fairy godmother or something? _

_**I am you. Well, at the wiser part of you anyway. Since I am still here, that means that you are still unsure. **_

Chihiro shook her head sadly.

_My parents and friends would just become worried about me and I won't catch up in school. Maybe I would even lose my sanity and do something crazy. _

……

_After all, I was born a human and must live like a human. No more fairytales. _

……_**Fairytales, huh……**_her inner mind pondered over this and lapsed into silence.

Chihiro sighed. She needs her full moon to ride again – at least for now – and that meant shrugging off the chains that bound her to the spirit world. As much as she knew it was real, the spirit world and all her friends there would just become part of the life of an over hopeful naïve child.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that! Pls review! All opinions are welcome!:)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away and never will. All credit goes to Hayao Miyazaki-the greatest anime genius ever!

Authors note: OMG! Thank you sooooo much for your positive reviews! I will try to improve my fanfic along the way, so pls r&r!

Chapter 2

"Chihiro! Wake up!"

Chihiro brushed away the hand that shook her shoulders and held up a finger.

"One more second there and I'll have to drag you down personally!" The voice hissed in her ear.

"One more minute _please_…" Chihiro moaned groggily.

"I said -" Yuuko was getting more and more impatient by the second.

Just then, her daughter suddenly shot up like a rocket. She looked at her furious mother, then down at herself and gulped. _Oh shit. _

Chihiro only had time to register those two words before her mother started rattling off like a machine gun. "What do you think you're doing?!" Yuuko screeched. Chihiro grimaced. (*ouch* her ears hurt) "Were you even _aware _of sleeping on the window ledge? Do you even _know_ how many times you could have fallen off - and I don't mean onto the floor – and hurt yourself? Thank Kami that you're even sane and sitting right now! Seriously, _what _were you thinking, Chihiro? And don't even bother saying that you're alright because you're not!"

Chihiro stared incredulously at her mother's antics. What was all the fuss about? She felt absolutely fine-except for a back that could be likened to a floorboard-for goodness sake! Though in Yuuko's eyes, it seemed that her daughter had grown an extra head.

"Mom…"Chihiro began, but was unsurprisingly cut off by her fretting mother.

"Do you want to go to school today, dear? I can call up the school, but I will _not _be making any excuses -"

"I feel perfectly alright! In fact, I _am_ perfectly alright!" Chihiro finally burst out.

However, at Yuuko's still worried look, she took a breath to calm herself and continued, "I'm fine mom, really. Everything will be fine."

Chihiro just hoped that her mother would not read too much into her words or notice how wrong that smile was on her face - though even she herself did not know the latter.

* * *

"Over here, Chihiro!"

Chihiro turned at the sound of her friend's voice. True to her words, Kana had saved Chihiro a seat in the lecture hall almost every morning for try as she might, Chihiro could never ever reach her first lesson on time. Although the oblivious teacher obviously wouldn't mind, she preferred not to be squatting on the dusty steps for the next hour. She vaguely wondered from whom she had inherited that undesirable trait when Kana called to her again.

"Ohayo," Kana greeted as Chihiro sat down. "You seem…different today."

"Hmm…really?" Chihiro replied absentmindedly as she skimmed through the various worksheets. _Different?_

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, like the bags under your eyes," she said.

_Oh right. That. Of course. _

Chihiro laughed airily. "You can expect that from someone who stayed up all night arguing with her mind and fell asleep on the window at one," she said.

Kana pretended to put on a disapproving look, but turned serious again almost instantly. "So you're alright now?" she asked, a definite note of concern in her voice.

Chihiro gave a little nod. _So she had noticed after all…_

_**Perspective,**_ her inner agreed.

_Still here?_ Chihiro sighed.

_**Of course, **_the voice replied indignantly, _**I'm part of you after all!**_

Chihiro turned towards her friend, who was still grinning. "Good," Kana said. "'Cos that weird look was really beginning to get on my nerves."

"Oh come on, it's not _that_ bad!" Chihiro pouted.

Kana shrugged and they both laughed. Chihiro felt normal and sane for the first time in a long while then. Perhaps her decision was indeed for the better, but strangely enough, Chihiro could neither take pride in that thought nor find the will to argue with the protests of her inner mind.

* * *

They were walking in the corridors towards the classroom when Kana suddenly let out a un-Kana-like squeal.

"Chihiro-chan! Do you know what the next period is?" she jumped excitedly.

Chihiro crossed her arms and frowned. "And here am I thinking that the day you take an interest in maths would be the day hell freezes over," she said.

But Kana shook her head. "Not that! Who would take an interest in those wriggly equations!" she exclaimed, evidently appalled at the idea. It suddenly occurred to Chihiro how accurate her friend's description was.

"You should read the news more often, Chihiro," Kana said exasperatedly.

"News?" Chihiro echoed. The fact that Kana actually read newspapers ranked up to their principal organising a balloon party for the entire school.

"Gossips, rumours, tittle-tattles, whatever," Kana said dismissively. _Ah, figures. _

"The point is that there's supposed to be a hot new guy coming to maths class today!" she finished happily.

"Uh-huh." Chihiro said uninterestedly. Somehow, every guy whom Kana found 'hot' didn't match up to Chihiro's standards. There was only one perfect image in her mind, though no human could ever look _that _good. Strangely enough, a certain dragon immediately floated to her mind, and Chihiro quickly forced it down before her inner could comment on it.

"Come on," Chihiro muttered and grabbed Kana's arm, pulling them towards the classroom, all the while repeating the words _'not that, not him' _silently.

* * *

"Class…"

"Hey, did you hear? The lead cheerleader fell from the pyramid yesterday."

"_Class…" _

"No, it was that bushy haired guys fault. He started the fight!"

"_**Class…"**_

"The captain got a red card in the second quarter. No wonder the team got beaten up so badly!"

"**CLASS!" **

Everyone turned their heads to stare at the bony teacher, who was currently blowing steam out of her nostrils. It was rare that a teacher actually lost temper; and that was mainly the reason no punishments were usually issued out in the school. But the students had no idea what an enraged professor was capable of. Thus, the entire class took to their seats silently, while waiting for their teacher to calm down.

After a couple of deep breaths, she glared at the students and announced, "Now, we're going to have a new student coming today –" A few girly squeals were heard – "Let's hope that he will not be as wild."

As the class continued to stare at her, the teacher made a vague gesture at the doorway and the boy entered. The squeals grew significantly louder, but it was as if time had frozen for Chihiro. Dark forest green hair framing his pale face, a sharp chin coupled with high royal cheekbones, and those extraordinary emerald eyes that seemed to reflect a sea of deep secrets and truths; he was quite a few inches taller than she had remembered and his features were more refined and mature, but as much as Chihiro denied it, there was no doubt that it was him – Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi of the Kohaku River, otherwise known as Haku.

_But how could it possibly be? I must be hallucinating. _

_**Relax dear, you're perfectly sane right now, **_her inner assured her.

_But – _

Her train of thoughts was broken suddenly by the teacher's voice, "Class, this is Kohaku and his family name was not disclosed to me." She finished, casting a questioning look at the student beside her. But all he gave in reply was a vague shake of his head.

"Alright, Kohaku, please take a seat next to Aoi, the third pupil from the left," the teacher said.

Kana, meanwhile, was nudging Chihiro with her elbow. "See, I told you he was hot," she whispered. But Chihiro was barely paying attention; her eyes were fixed only on Kohaku as he maneuvered around the desks to his seat. A single thought was flitting through her mind: _It _is_ him. _

~I would have ended it here, but I figured oh well, so enjoy! ~

It was as if a dam had been broken; causing all the stored water to gush out at an unbelievable speed and drowning everything in its path. At that point in time, Chihiro was totally unaware of her surroundings and neither did she deny her past any longer; for it was entirely the amazing truth and the evidence was right in front of her eyes. To throw away everything she had believed in as a child then would be a fool's mistake. At long last, she would have a chance to re-live her fantasies. She wondered absently if Haku would let her ride on him again as she cast her eyes over his still form. She would have rushed over to hug him then, yet she realised abruptly the strangeness of the situation; Haku had not even glanced her way once the entire time. His face remained blank and impassive; showing no emotion, no emotion at all. Perhaps he wanted to save the reunion until later in order to avoid awkward questions, but was a smile really that much to ask for? On the other hand, although it was true that Chihiro herself had grown a fair head taller over the years and her appearance was no longer that of a little girl, she was not completely beyond recognition.

_Maybe he has forgotten, _she thought sadly.

_**Rubbish! Why else would he come here, then?**_

But Chihiro would really like to disagree with her inner mind, especially when the boy turned to face her without the barest flicker of recognition in those beautiful eyes.

* * *

Hi! That was shorter than the first chap, but i hope that it would still be alright to you guys. I know there's a slight shift between the lecture hall and the classroom, but i felt that it was necessary. Somehow I love cliffhangers. The romance between haku and Chihiro will also develop slowly. i plan to make this a pretty long fanfic. Hope you don't mind:) Anyways-please r&r!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of spirited away. All credit goes to the genius hayao miyazaki!

Author's note: I am sooooo sorry i haven't updated for so long. i was on a holiday:) So as my apologies, i think i'll upload the next chapter very soon after this as well. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Say Chihiro, I thought you didn't take an interest in our boys?" Kana voiced out during lunch break.

Chihiro shrugged, "I don't."

"Then why were your eyes practically glued to the new guy-Kohaka or something-the entire lesson? I know he's all that but still, I never expected _you_ to swoon over him like that!" Kana giggled as they sat down. "Springtime must be here for you, Chihiro-chan!"

Chihiro prodded her food lazily and sighed, "It's not that and you know it, Kana."

"Oh? Well then, please enlighten me with your wondrous reasoning, Chihiro-sama," her friend retorted dramatically, but was unable to keep a straight face and had to bite her lip to stifle her laughter.

Chihiro raised an eyebrow at Kana's scrunched up face and put down her fork. "He reminded me of someone I used to know, that's all," she said quietly.

_**And still knows, **_her inner mind added.

_But it wasn't returned-not one word; not one smile; not one indication that he knew anything; absolutely nothing,_Chihiro thought angrily as a salty tang prickled her eyes. She reached up a finger to wipe away the moisture and frowned. It was a long time since she had last cried and there was no reason for her to break that record now. However, what could someone do when the person they had wanted so badly to see forgets them?

_**Now, now, you don't know for sure yet, **_her inner said soothingly. _**Besides, Haku even remembered the time when you fell into his river, so there's no reason to believe that he wouldn't remember you now. **_

_I hope you're right, _was all Chihiro said.

~I decided not to add a line here :) ~

It was a few seconds before Chihiro realized what she was seeing. The 'something white' that was fluttering in front of her face was slapped onto the table with an impatient *smack*. Shocked, Chihiro touched her slightly wetter face and slowly turned to face Kana, who was peering worriedly into her eyes.

"Sono…arigato," Chihiro muttered, embarrassed, and dabbed at her tears with the piece of tissue.

"Some guy it must be to make you break down," Kana murmured.

"Not really," she mumbled and retuned to her cold fries.

Kana glanced at her friend anxiously. "Care to talk about it?" she asked hesitantly.

Chihiro did not reply, only dimly registering her friend's sad smile.

* * *

"Come _on_!" Kana said impatiently as Chihiro trudged slowly behind, still deep in thought. "We're gonna be seriously late this time! Who knows what Korana-sensei would do?!" Korana-sensei had always been a docile teacher, but since her unexpected outburst during the last lesson, all the students resolved to tread more carefully around this dormant volcano ever since.

And about that last lesson……Chihiro shook her head. Now's not the time to think about that.

She sighed and ran after Kana.

* * *

"Ne Chihiro-chan?" Kana nudged her friend.

Chihiro made a noncommittal noise in her throat.

"Can I copy your notes? I swear, Korana-sensei's gonna be the death of me from now on," Kana sighed dramatically.

Chihiro pushed her worksheet over and continued to observe her 'target'. Said target was gazing unblinkingly at his paper; his pupils barely moving as if in a trance and the pencil in his hand scribbling almost automatically.

_**A spell? **_Her inner whispered. _**Maybe that's where he got all those answers from. **_

Chihiro barely suppressed the tears that were threatening to fall again. She glanced quickly at Kana and thanked Korana-sensei silently. Their teacher was busying them with so much work that her friend didn't even have time to look up. Chihiro knew that her deskmate meant well, but she preferred to keep these problems personal. She sighed again and looked over at Haku. He appeared so cold and distant; though he was always the quiet type, Chihiro couldn't sense the same warmth from him as she did five years ago. There was just a barrier surrounding him that repelled anyone that wandered too close; an icy aura that froze people's hearts. He only spoke when necessary and when he did, his voice was so soft but chilly like the arctic winds. No one interacted with him and vice versa. The boy seemed to be in a league of his own; a league no human could ever reach. Haku was just too devoid of emotions-almost like the demeanor of a cold-blooded assassin.

Chihiro shivered. Was she being blinded by false kindness all those years ago? Because the Haku in front of her now couldn't be capable of such compassion, could he? But he had been so true in his actions then that all doubts seemed impossible, unless…Chihiro's eyes widened as a new thought occurred to her. Was this the nature of a free spirit? Had Haku discovered his true name just to become like this? This time, the tears really did fall. She couldn't stand it anymore; she had to find out the truth.

* * *

"All right. Books away," the teacher said dismissively and walked out of the classroom, which was immediately in an uproar.

But Chihiro wanted to be no part of all the noise and movement. "Sorry Kana-chan but I really need to go!" she said in a rush and disappeared through the door, leaving an extremely perplexed Kana behind.

_Come on! Where are you? _Chihiro thought in frustration as she sprinted down the corridor. Haku was always the first to leave the classroom-though with so much stealth that the occupants never notice it, with an exception of course. Today, Chihiro wanted her questions answered. She just hoped that Haku hadn't changed into his dragon form and taken to the skies yet; flying-scaly-reptile-hunting did not suit her well at all.

_Ah ha! Found you! _Chihiro finally skidded to a halt in relief when a flash of forest green hair entered her vision.

"Haku!"

No response.

"Haku!"

……

"Kohaku!"

When the passive boy continued to ignore her, she gritted her teeth and yelled, "Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, stop right there!"

This time he did stop. But by the time Chihiro realized her mistake, it was already too late. Her hands flew to her runaway mouth as Haku turned to face her slowly with an odd light in those unreadable emerald eyes.

"…What did you just call me?" he asked quietly and took a step nearer to Chihiro.

"Ano…sono…" she stuttered. To tell the truth, Chihiro was slightly unnerved by his frosty voice and the glint in those calm orbs. Yet it just showed how much Haku had changed; she was never afraid of this boy before. Chihiro knew she had to get the conversation over quickly for she didn't know how long she could hold on before the blasted tears came again.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, her voice stronger now.

Haku studied her for a moment. "You were in my previous classes." He said emotionlessly.

Chihiro felt like slapping her head, she really did. "Not that!" She sighed, "I mean like before that. A long time ago."

He raised a brow at this. "Should I?"

"Yes!" Chihiro all but snapped. _Why was he playing all these mind games with her? _

Haku was silent, his cold emerald orbs almost boring into hers; contemplating, calculating. Chihiro held on firmly to his gaze, though she felt her eyes water when Haku's soft voice reached her ears, "I don't remember."

Yet she forced herself to swallow her imminent tears and pressed on, "Then what about a little girl of ten with brown hair and eyes five years ago?" _Perhaps…_

He shook his head. "Was that you?" _There went her hope. _

The droplets were swimming in the rims of her eyes now, "A bathhouse?"

"No." Chihiro gasped. _Was he lying?_ She couldn't sense any deceit from the way Haku was staring at her, a blank look in his handsome features. But she had learnt that this boy was a dangerously good actor from experience itself.

"A witch with a big dress and a horrible wart? Yubaba?"

"No."

"Kamajii? Lin? Zeniba?"

"Who are these people?" Haku asked calmly.

Chihiro's breath caught in her throat. So it wasn't just her that he forgot; practically everyone was banished from his memory.

"Are you _sure_ you don't remember, Haku? Please stop playing games," she pleaded quietly to him.

He just continued to stare at her with that unreadable gaze. "You seem to know me," Haku said finally.

"Of course! And so should you!" Chihiro blurted out; the droplets were streaming freely down her cheekbones now.

However, he simply looked impassively at the crying girl one last time and walked away, letting the sudden breeze carry his quiet words, albeit with a certain sharp edge, "I don't know you."

This girl was a threat, one that needed to be eliminated soon, Haku decided. The fact that a mere_ human_ had claimed to know him and indeed _knew_ so much about him was no doubt unsettling. Yet his curiosity required just as much quenching and he would find out more about this individual first-this being whom he was fairly certain was more than what met the eye.

* * *

Chihiro was in shock. No, shocked was an understatement for what the girl was feeling right now. She felt absolutely livid, not to mention extremely hurt, betrayed and most importantly, like she wanted to bash Haku's head into the ground right there and then. (Note: Chihiro has grown a lot more violent since ten O_O) _How could he just walk away like that! Who does he think he is?! _

_**Go girl! **_Her inner mind agreed furiously.

He was in for a lot of trouble the next time they met. But the gravity of the situation settled into her enraged mind just then; Haku had really forgotten her, and not just her-everyone she had met in the spirit world to be exact. She stared blankly at the spot Haku had been standing on just a moment ago, her mind in a total disastrous whirl.

Oh why did Kami hate her so? There was only one thing she could do now, and may luck be on her side this time.

* * *

Chihiro threw off her blanket and listened intently. The only sounds were the deep snores and occasional grunts coming from his father next door. The night was a peaceful one. That was good. She took a deep breath and slowly climbed out of her warm bed. Chihiro tiptoed out of her room, down the stairs, pausing every now and then to listen, and stopped at the front door. Though she could have easily taken the window route, she was still not certain of her ability to land very well. Thus, Chihiro removed a long metal pin from her jacket pocket and started working on the lock as the large house keys made a lot more noise. When the catch finally opened with a soft 'click', she allowed herself a self-satisfied smirk (she really needed to remind her parents to change the rusty locks), reached in to replace the latch, shut the door and took off into the silent night.

Chihiro was pretty sure she hated the foliage, which had only grown denser over the years. The various, criss-crossed twigs and branches scratched at her hands and legs as she pushed through the small woods. But despite that, it didn't seem like they were trying to keep her out. The trees lined on either side were swayed towards the front, almost as if _urging_ her on. It was a strange feeling, but even odder when Chihiro had the sensation of someone, or something, watching and following her every move. Chihiro was not easily scared by the dark like she was as a child, but this…this was just creepy. Determined not to let anything get her down, she marched through the trees at a much brisker pace, shoving her arms in front of her to clear the path.

Finally, when Chihiro reached the familiar red brick building which loomed before her, she could not help but feel a bolt of anxiety and panic. _What if it didn't let her in again? _She had returned time and time after to this place the first few years after her little adventure, but time and time again she had been disappointed to the point that she almost felt like all of it had been a dream. But not anymore. If Haku could get to her world, then she should also be able to pass over to his. Taking a deep breath, Chihiro strode through the dark opening filled with promises.

* * *

Yay! Chihiro's finally going back to the spirit world! Look forward to next chap! Pleeeease r&r: Your opinions are very much needed!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: i don't own.

Author's note: I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! I know this isn't as soon as i promised, but oh well! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

The spirit world was exactly as Chihiro had remembered it to be. As she emerged from the red brick tower, the same sights and scents greeted her and made her feel almost giddy with relief. Here she was at last-the place that had haunted her dreams for so long and the place that had taught her the life lessons she had so much needed then. Chihiro glanced up at star-studded skies and vaguely wondered what it was that had triggered the opening of the gates to the spirit world. Why had it refused her entry all the previous times previously? But as she looked back at the dark murky waters in front of her-which was once a lush green field-her trivial thoughts were immediately dispelled. How the heck was she supposed to cross this thing?! If only she had listened to her mother and completed the swimming course…Just then, a flicker of lights entered her peripheral vision. Chihiro turned and came face to face with an enormous cruise ship-well it could be called that except for the fact that translucent shadow spirits were currently boarding the decks. She watched with fascinated wonder as mask after mask disappeared through the doorway; an idea already forming in her mind.

As the last of the spirits moved forward, Chihiro sprinted towards the queue and stood behind the see-through body, struggling to be as inconspicuous as possible. However, her plan was thoroughly foiled when the 'ticket checker' halted her with its skinny black arm. Chihiro gulped and looked up into a pair of hollow eyes. Knowing it was imperative that she boarded the ship, she took a deep breath and pleaded, "Please, Mister Spirit, I need to get onto this ship. My friend is in trouble and I need to help him."

The shadow spirit just stared at her-she could tell as the hollows didn't move. Was it working? Sighing inwardly, Chihiro put on her best puppy dog expression and prayed to the heavens. After a pregnant silence, the spirit finally removed its arm and made a soft sound. Chihiro blinked. The spirit moaned again, this time slightly louder. Her eyes widened as realization dawned. Bowing deeply to the generous spirit, Chihiro muttered a quiet 'arigato' under her breath and scurried through the doorway.

She had to say that that was odd. She would never be sure what went on in the minds of shadow spirits-on second thought, did they even have a mind? She sighed and settled herself on a cushioned seat by the window. (Déjà vu much?) Chihiro had no idea of how to proceed with the matter at hand whatsoever. Haku had evidently forgotten everyone at the spirit world and the mere thought of it prompted salty tears in her eyes. Her first choice was to look for Zeniba, but as she didn't have a train ticket-perhaps the conductor would be as generous as the shadow spirit?-her next best option would be Kamajii the boiler man.

Chihiro tugged on a strand of hair as she gazed out at the 'sea'. Another thought had just occurred to her. Her inner mind had been strangely quiet all this while and though she couldn't say that it was unwelcomed, it triggered…_something_ in her. After all, the concept that was her split minds only surfaced when she tried to put behind her time in the spirit world. Her other part was constantly begging to differ and the fact that it had all but disappeared now set a sense of belonging in Chihiro-like the spirit world was her true home and there was no doubt nor argument about it. She frowned at this. It was impossible as far as a human was concerned, but Chihiro had a knack of landing in impossible situations.

A soft gust of warm breath on her ear startled Chihiro out of her stupor. Her head snapped up to face a ghost white mask. It was a shadow spirit, and it was staring at her like a predator eyeing its unfortunate prey.

"Er…can I help you sir…madam…ano…" Chihiro stammered helplessly.

The spirit tilted its mask-like face as if examining a particularly interesting piece of specimen. Upon further inspection, Chihiro realized that this individual shadow spirit was marked apart from the rest by a red kanji on its forehead which read as _tsumi_.

"E…to…"

Then without warning, it stretched out its small arm and clutched Chihiro's shoulder. She looked up slowly and gazed into a pair of black holes.

_Three._

The spirit tightened its grip on Chihiro.

_Two._

It reached out its other arm.

_One. _

She bolted.

* * *

Chihiro had no idea why she had done that; she simply did it. Call it instinct, call it impulse; she just knew at that instant that she had to run away. She had been lucky when the ship hit shore or she might just be drowning in icy waters right now. Chihiro paused on the familiar red bridge to catch her breath. She really had no reason to take off like that. The shadow spirit could merely have been a friendly one like the radish spirit or lonely like No Face. Either way, she was pretty sure it had felt quite affronted by her actions. _Great job Chihiro, _she thought sarcastically. _Your first deed here: Insult a lovely poor shadow spirit. _

Chihiro groaned inwardly and trudged towards the bathhouse, too tired to care about stifling her breath, thus all the pointed stares she was receiving, the not-so-hushed whispers behind her back and the little froggy that just went hopping away, croaking 'DISGUSTING FILTHY HUMANS HERE!!' through an invisible loudspeaker. Dimly, she wondered if the bathhouse workers would treat her any differently if they learnt her identity. Chihiro shrugged, not really caring, and took a detour around the steaming building to a flight of hazardous-looking stairs that would lead her to the boiler room. However, she was stopped for the second time that day by no less an absolutely appalling slug spirit who carried herself as if she owned the world.

"Halt human! What grimy business do you have here?" the woman, who was shorter than Chihiro by at least a head, demanded arrogantly.

Chihiro blinked. "Oh," she said. "Er…can you let me through please?"

The slug spirit huffed and drew herself to her full height, which frankly wasn't very impressive. "Ha! As if a dirty human like you can be allowed to step on our floors! Turn away this instant!" She all but commanded Chihiro.

Somewhere inside Chihiro, annoyance began to bubble. She had not come all this way in the middle of the night just to be stopped by a self-conceited ugly slug! Glaring at the haughty woman, Chihiro scowled irritably, "Look here, if you're not happy, just run off to Yubaba! Make her use whatever methods to torture me or something. See if I care." _In fact, _she added silently, _I'm surprised Yubaba hasn't swooped down and whisked me away yet. _

The slug spirit was evidently taken aback, and with one last loathing glower at Chihiro, she marched off to the bathhouse mistress. Chihiro rubbed her temples with a sigh and began her descent down the stairs. This time, however, she did not slowly take it one at a time; instead, with urgency and anticipation fuelling her, the girl practically jumped down from the top and barged into the boiler room without hesitation. It was like a stifling hot spa down there, Chihiro had to admit. Amongst the thick steam, she could barely make out the eight arms of Kamajii and the bobbing black masses that were his soot balls.

"Move along there!" Kamajii roared to a lazy worker and to Chihiro, "Wait there and don't touch anything! The last time a human picked up the slacks these little rascals stopped working altogether." Perhaps it was her imagination, or did a fond smile appear on the old spirit's face?

"Kamajii?" Chihiro breathed and stepped forward.

The old spirit turned his head and she saw that he hadn't changed one bit over the years. "Eh? How'd you know-" he broke off and squinted at Chihiro, "My, my…if it isn't Sen!" Kamajii gave a fatherly smile and beckoned her closer. "I've always known you would come back one day, Sen. Never seen such a little girl before!"

Chihiro giggled as the soot balls gathered around her feet, squeaking merrily. "I'm not such a little girl anymore jii-chan," She said.

"Hai, hai," he agreed and returned to his work. "You've really grown, but you'd always be a little girl to me."

Chihiro pouted but turned serious almost instantly. "Kamajii, actually I've come here for your help," she said somberly.

The old spirit nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"Haku is in my world and he doesn't seem to remember-"

"Anything." Kamajii filled in for her.

Chihiro just stared at him.

The boiler man sighed heavily as if he had known it all this while-and which he probably did. "So now Haku is in the human world…" he muttered to himself. "Curious." Then, turning to Chihiro, he said wisely, "Hai, hai. The boy has lost his memories, hasn't he."

She could only nod, intrigued as Kamajii continued, "I've been wondering…wondering when Sen would show up too when Haku landed here about a year ago, demanding the whereabouts of a lake spirit named Takao." He shook his head almost sadly, "There was such a strange look in his eyes-the same yet different from the time he spent as Yubaba's apprentice. I knew then, I knew that he was under a spell again. A memory curse if I'm not mistaken-yes, yes, such a dreadful spell…"

"Memory curse?" Chihiro whispered.

Kamajii nodded, "Hai, hai. I've always suspected it, ever since Haku took off without another word when we said no-continue moving there!" He threw a small pebble at the soot balls which had begun to listen interestedly.

"But what is he doing in the human world? And couldn't setting him free have something to do with it as well?" Chihiro couldn't help but ask fearfully.

The old spirit smiled at the obvious quiver in her voice. "Nay, child, nay. A free spirit can only be more powerful. And to your other question, I believe that Haku is merely curious about your side when his river was restored."

"Restored?" she echoed blankly. Hazily, Chihiro remembered something about the recent newsflash-about how a row of apartment blocks was lost in a sudden flood…

"Hai, hai. He could never possibly cross the gateway if there wasn't something to anchor him on the other side. On the other hand, the fact that you can pass through, Sen…I wonder…" The last part was almost muttered to himself.

"But who would-" Unfortunately, she was promptly cut off when the other door flew open and a loud female marched through. "Kamajii! Haven't you heard? There's another human here and Yu-" Lin broke off and stared openly at Chihiro, who stared right back.

A few seconds of utter silence-apart from the soot balls' hungry squeaks-passed before Chihiro dared to open her mouth. "Lin?"

Said woman gasped and threw her arms around Chihiro. In all her excitement, Lin misplaced her footing and accidentally nudged a soot ball with her toes, causing it to screech angrily. "Oh shove off," she said irritably. "Aren't you happy that Sen has come back?" It bobbed its little black head or body or whatever happily. "Then please pardon my enthusiasm."

Chihiro watched the 'exchange' between them amusedly. Lin certainly was quite entertaining.

"Wow! You've really grown, Sen!" The brown-haired woman grinned as she inspected Chihiro at an arm's length.

Chihiro laughed. "Well, not all of us can be young forever, you know."

Lin smiled and pulled her in for another hug. "I still can't believe it's really you!" she exclaimed.

"How is Yubaba taking Sen's arrival?" Kamajii asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. That old hag wanted you in her office I think," Lin frowned. " I don't know what she wants with you, Sen, now that your parents aren't pigs anymore but you better be careful."

"Can I not go?" Chihiro asked hopefully, thinking back on the last time she was in there.

Her friend snorted, "If you don't want to bundled up and carried there by a dozen slimy slugs and ugly toads, then I suggest you go by yourself. There's someone waiting outside."

"Oh."

Lin gave her a sisterly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry. That witch won't do anything bad to you, I promise. If anything, she should be grateful after you taught that spoiled brat of hers a lesson or two."

"Boh learnt himself and besides, who was it that told me to be careful just now hm?" Chihiro commented dryly.

The lively spirit whined indignantly, "Hey, I'm trying to comfort you here! And since when did you become so sarcastic, Sen?! You were much sweeter before!"

Chihiro laughed at her childish pout. "Sorry, Lin. I'll be very careful around Yubaba."

"Now that's more like it!" The woman grinned.

Chihiro got onto her knees and climbed through the low opening, pausing only to give her friends an assuring thumbs-up. "Well, then I'll be off. Ja ne!"

When she was gone, Lin turned to Kamajii and asked curiously, "How did she get through the gateway anyway?"

The old spirit just shrugged.

* * *

Chihiro stood in front of the huge doors that loomed before her, wringing her hands nervously. She wasn't afraid of Yubaba, no, definitely not; in fact she had come to think of her as a sardonic grandmother actually. So why wasn't she knocking? Because her palms were too sweaty to grip the iron knockers, yes, that's it. And why were her palms so sweaty? Well, that's because-

"Do I have to drag you in again? I believe that would be a severe waste of my precious magic," an annoyed voice boomed.

_Might as well get this over with._

"Coming!" Chihiro yelled back as the first door opened for her.

She walked calmly but briskly through the many dark doorways and jewel studded chambers. When the last ones swung wide open, Chihiro barely had time to take in the messy paperwork and jumping green heads before being pulled harshly towards the single polished desk.

"Well, well, look who's here," the large witch behind it cackled and leaned back in her big chair.

Chihiro took a deep breath. _Don't say anything stupid, don't do anything stupid, don't think anything stupid, don't-_

"Are you going to help us or what?" Yubaba suddenly slammed her fist onto the table and glared at the girl.

_Huh? _And that's exactly what Chihiro said.

"You." Yubaba pointed at her. "Help." Wild gestures in the air. "Us." More wild gestures in the air.

"What?"

The witch sighed exasperatedly and began her long suffering grandmother's tale. "Our problem now is that Haku has amnesia and I don't want such a…a…a…_capable_ free-" At this, she glared at Chihiro again-"spirit to cause a huge wreckage so I want you to set him straight because any troublesome girl who can cross over a gateway that hasn't been opened for centuries for foolish humans is bound to have some weirdly strange powers and purpose in the spirit world and as much as I despise to say this-" she licked her lips-"I think that you silly girl can find out a way to reverse that ridiculous dragon's condition. Do you understand now?"

Chihiro blinked. Blinked again. Blinked one more time.

Her mind was still processing the long sermon-could it be called that?-that Yubaba had just delivered. Her internal gears clicked slowly into place one by one as she struggled to summarize the too long piece of information.

"So…I'm supposed to help Haku get his memories back when I don't even know how to?" Chihiro asked incredulously when her mind finally caught up with her ears.

"Well, work out a solution on your own!" Yubaba snapped irritably.

"But-"

"Here! Take this with you!" the witch thrust a little piece of paper at Chihiro, which she caught clumsily. It was a train ticket.

"But-"

"I'm not going to steal your name so stop freaking out!"

"But-"

"You'll see Boh when you see him!"

"But-"

"OUT!"

And with that one last command, Chihiro was thrown back through the doorways without a clue in the world.

_What the heck?!_

* * *

"So Yubaba told you all that?"

"Yes. And I haven't got any idea what she was talking about." Chihiro said bluntly when she got back to Kamajii and Lin.

"Well, it makes sense. Seeing that you're the only human who has ever passed through the gateway for centuries," Kamajii scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"That's what Yubaba said."

"Well, child," the old spirit smiled at Chihiro, who seriously didn't know what was worth smiling about. "I have no idea. But perhaps Zeniba has."

Her eyes widened. "Zeniba? But how-oh!" Chihiro gasped in understanding as she looked down at the piece of train ticket in her hand.

"It seemed that even Yubaba agreed with me," Kamajii chuckled in amusement.

Lin rounded on him with an incredulous glare. "You cannot be serious! Sen can't take on such a big task!"

"She's done it before," the boiler man said mildly.

"But…but it was different!" Lin spluttered.

"Hmm."

The feisty spirit glowered.

Kamajii sighed and turned to Chihiro. "Are you sure you want to do this, dear?"

"Yes, are you sure?!"

Chihiro smiled at their concerned faces. If she chose to do something with the expectations bestowed to her, she may well be leaving the human world for an unknown and possibly very long period of time. But on the other hand, it seemed that her annoying inner mind would be back again if she continued to deny her heart what it had craved for so long. Moreover, Haku was a precious friend so…

"Yes."

Kamajii nodded with a gentle smile while Lin just gaped at her.

"Then be careful. But first, you must take a rest. Humans tend to be tired easily," he said.

* * *

Well, that's all folks! Let me know what you think of it so far, and for those of you who're sad that inner mind is gone, well, sorry! And i also need to know if you guys want Kana in the rest of the story. So please review! It really makes my day! Next chap: Haku makes his appearence! Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's note: Here it is, my dear readers! Enjoy:) Thank you for all your awesome reviews! *Hugs and kisses*

* * *

Chapter 5

The dawn was breaking; already, streaks of gold and citrus could be seen over the lightening horizon. Chihiro sat in the lone train compartment, looking out over the beautiful sea which was once a lush meadow. After bidding goodbye to Kamajii and Lin, who almost crushed her with death hugs and anti-tired spells, she had boarded the one-way train and started on her uncertain journey to help Haku. It was in fact 'uncertain' because Chihiro could never be sure of the end. A lot could happen in the spirit world and success was not always the sweet fruit. Haku had dug himself a truly deep hole this time, and Chihiro suspected that even with all her strength, she wouldn't be able to haul him back up. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and besides, all her spirit friends-Kamajii, Lin, and heck, even Yubaba-had faith in her, and as much as the old witch tried to pretend otherwise, Chihiro knew that deep inside, she had a soft heart. With these slightly reassuring thoughts in mind, Chihiro smiled.

By the time the train skidded to a halt in front of the sixth station, it was almost night time. Needless to say, Chihiro had dozed off several times, woken up in full blown panic, taken a fearful glance outside, and then relaxed again. The little sleep she had in the bathhouse really wasn't enough. Sometimes, she was just a tad jealous of the spirits' immortality. Shrugging, Chihiro alighted. The scenery was one huge empty wetland, with nothing but a small winding path cutting across the swamp. The moon was not even out that night. Shivering, she begged silently for the old hopping lamp to welcome her instead of groping blindly for Zeniba's hut. When Chihiro realized that she wasn't going to get anywhere by standing there hopefully for a non-existent jumping light source, she sighed and trudged down the path. Somehow, there was just a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, whispering of presences welcome and unknown, safe and fearful. Chihiro bit her lip and sprinted down the stretch of road, before being repelled unexpectedly by a sudden burst of energy.

_Tsum__i._ That was the first word that ran through Chihiro's mind when a familiar shadow spirit practically materialized out of thin air right in front of her. There was such a sinful aura surrounding the engraved kanji that she couldn't help but take a step back. The spirit's hollow eyes were glowing red as they followed her movements. Unseen tendrils from the surrounding darkness spread out and entangled Chihiro in its shadowy web, trapping her limbs. Her natural instinct was to scream, but somehow, she just couldn't. One thing was because no one would hear her, and another was that perhaps she was too captured by the spirit's aura-lonely and obligatorily malicious, a bit like the past No Face if you would. Chihiro knew that she shouldn't pity the half-being, but she did. After all, a life-long taint was a heavy burden to carry, no matter how much it deserved to.

"_What's this? No fear? How interesting…"_

Chihiro practically jumped out of her skin when a voice rumbled in her mind. Looking back at the shadow spirit, she discovered that its eyes were no longer glowing, but the color had faded a little. The masked face tilted and regarded her with a little something akin to curiosity.

"_Truly interesting…" _The voice repeated.

_Is my annoying mind back again? _Chihiro wondered as she stared at the odd spirit.

"_Two minds? …__No, look at me and you'll understand."_

That statement in its own seemed to draw Chihiro's eyelids close as if controlling a puppet, tempting them open again after a brief moment. What she saw was no longer a shadow spirit, but a ghostly spectrum that executed power that was and wasn't its own, like an empty promise. It was truly a mysterious sight. Right before her was a flickering image of a man clothed entirely in a simple gray kimono, his tight face framed by short cobalt hair, a beacon in the night. His cerulean eyes were gleaming with what looked like extreme satisfaction, thin mouth curving up slightly. The red kanji upon his forehead glowed brighter than ever.

"_Takano__ of the Southern Plateau" _

That was all before the night seemed to get even darker, shadows of the swamp circling together into an indecipherable black glyph, burned into the ground, threatening to swallow Chihiro into god knows where. And that was all before a shattering roar sounded in the distance, followed by a blinding burst of pale light, breaking the shadowy spell on her and filling the patch of darkness with a sharp retaliation. Chihiro felt rather than saw the clash between the two forces, one hastily escaping, one attacking relentlessly, and the latter being so much more powerful. The ground seemed to break under the mystical white spear that had sprouted out of nowhere, made entirely of a light so deep it was almost otherworldly. When she blinked again, the swamp was quiet and secretive once again, with absolutely no one in sight. So Chihiro did the only thing she could. She ran.

* * *

"Kami!" Zeniba cried as the wooden door bolted open and a figure collapsed on the carpet.

Immediately the old witch threw down her broom and gathered the girl into her arms. She crumpled into Zeniba's hold, her expression as if in a trance; face pale, eyes unseeing. There was nothing wrong with her health, Zeniba could tell that much. It was more like she had seen a ghost, and perhaps she had. _And who is this? _The witch added silently. But as she studied the young woman's smooth features, her eyes grew wide with realization. The spirited brown eyes, the rosy cheeks, the kind lips. Zeniba could see all of these under the dazed façade. All of a sudden, she remembered vividly the young girl of ten that had come crashing into her home, begging desperately for forgiveness that was not hers in the first place. She remembered the unrivalled courage of one little scrap of a girl, fuelled by dutiful friendship. She remembered the beauty of an angel's heart, encircling everything with its warmth. She remembered all these things, and the truth hit her like a bombshell. It was Chihiro.

Zeniba almost dropped the girl in that instant. A million what, why and hows skimmed through her mind. Although the witch was overjoyed to see the girl again, there were many factors that prevented a celebration. For one, she, and everyone else for that matter, was fully aware that technically, no human was allowed on the spirit soil. It was an ancient law that ensured peace between the two worlds. The first time Chihiro had appeared in her hut, she had been genuinely shocked; once was enough, but twice was really too much for her to comprehend, not that she did anyway. And two, _what is she _doing_ here? _So many questions and no answers. She was too old for this. She was really going to have a headache soon. But before that, she needed to 'cure' the limp girl in her arms first. Kami, pray tell what had happened to her?

Sighing deeply, Zeniba lowered Chihiro gently to the ground, all the while whispering a soft spell. A dim light glowed around the girl, spreading wider and wider until she was totally encased in it, and then suddenly fading to nothingness. The color returned to her face as the faint light burned again in her eyes, her lips parting as she sat up groggily, her sight refocusing.

"Uh…" Chihiro groaned and held her aching head.

"Are you better now, my dear?"

_Huh …__What the heck…?! _She looked up and stared incredulously at the smiling Zeniba right in front of her. The old witch had an immensely relieved expression on her wrinkled face and she seemed strangely…desperate. But more importantly, how did the object of her search just pop up out of nowhere, or wait...did she…when…how did she get into Zeniba's hut?!

"Feeling alright?" The old witch asked again, peering concernedly into Chihiro's eyes.

"H…Hai."

"Tea?" Zeniba said while pouring herself a cup from the steaming kettle. "It helps."

"No thanks." If she couldn't even stand the hot drink from her world, Chihiro was fairly certain she was going to pass out with just one sip of the ominous looking olive substance. _Hold on…_she froze. Kami, did she just pass out? That would clearly explain her muddled mind and the fact that she was sitting dumbly in Zeniba's hut. Still, it was confusing. Totally confusing.

"Ano…Zeniba-san-" she began, but was cut off in mid-sentence.

"Obaa-chan."

"Huh?"

Zeniba sighed. "I told you to call me Obaa-chan the last time you came crashing into my hut, didn't I? Or have you already forgotten?" There was a playful but odd glint in the witch's eyes as she said this, as if she was trying to confirm something.

"Eh…Oh yeah," Chihiro said sheepishly. "Obaa-chan then-" She was interrupted. Again.

"So it's true…" Zeniba murmured thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"The gates have opened. For you, Chihiro," The old witch said and regarded her with an indecipherable expression.

Chihiro was really beginning to wonder if the gods were conspiring against her. Because there was absolutely no way that a kind soul would allow her to suffer through all these weird statements like that. Upon seeing Chihiro's perplexed expression, Zeniba couldn't help but chuckle. Even in her teens, the girl resembled a child.

"Nevermind," the witch laughed lightly. "But could you tell me what happened, dear child? Why are you here? Why did you seek me out?"

Much to Chihiro's surprise, she realized that Zeniba was as baffled as she was. And here she thought that the old witch was the key to every answer. Nodding, she began her strange tale, from Haku's memory loss to Yubaba's strange declaration. All the while, Zeniba listened intently, her expression gradually clearing from puzzlement to a surprised understanding.

"And when I was on my way here-" Chihiro's eyes widened as the pieces suddenly came back to her. She finally remembered.

"Takano of the Southern Plateau," her voice was barely a whisper. There was a rustle above her, but she paid it no heed.

Staring hard into Zeniba's eyes, Chihiro described the mystical battle scene with more life than any action movie, all the while hearing her own blood pounding furiously in her ears. She didn't know what had compelled her to recall all the little details of that moment, but she did. When she had finished, breathless and anticipating, Zeniba looked so shocked that Chihiro thought she had given the old witch a real heart attack.

"My dear child, is it really true?" Zeniba asked, her eyes very bright.

"Hai." She was really beginning to scare Chihiro.

The old witch took a deep breath as she sank into her chair, the bewilderment on her face slowly but surely fading to a mere enlightenment. There was a passing silence before Zeniba leaned forward again and held Chihiro's hand, a gentle smile on her wrinkled face.

"Well, that's your answer, dear child."

_Oh gods. Not again.__ Here it comes. _"Huh?"

"I personally didn't believe my sister could have come up with such a logical thought, but it appears she was right." Zeniba mused. At Chihiro's raised eyebrow, she laughed and did the girl a huge favor-she explained.

"You better sit down, dear child," the old witch said. "'Tis is certainly going to take some time." Smoothing out her large dress, she began her long tale. "Thousands of millenniums ago, at the crack of dawn, there was no such things as war and peace. It was merely a simple, unfeeling world. Two beings existed then-the spirits and the humans. At that time, everyone went about their own businesses, without goal or even purpose in life. They survived solely for the sake of survival, existed only for the sake of existence. Perhaps they did not even have a mind. The spirits guarded the natural elements of the universe, while the humans crafted new gifts to the world; these two never crossed paths with each other and perhaps never would have if not for one demon. Now, this particular demon had reared its head when the gods finally decided to leave a soul in those empty shells prowling the world. But in everything, the unfortunate had set in first. This demon was the darkness in our hearts. It exists even now, in all of us; I could show you a lot, except it was much stronger in the past. Greed and hunger had overtaken the beings of the past, and ultimately, this led to battle, bloodshed and destruction. So, in order to retain the little silence left between spirits and humans, the ancient gods carved out a law to separate them forever. This law was, and remains till today, the red brick building-the boundary between your world and mine." At this, Zeniba paused to let her words sink in.

"But if we can move freely across the boundary, what's the use in it?" Chihiro asked curiously.

The old witch shook her head. "That's the thing, dear child. They couldn't. You were the only one, human or spirit, to pass through the ancient boundary since the gods created it."

"Me?" Chihiro squeaked.

"Well, I suppose Haku as well. But that's probably a projection from his river, not the true body. Still, I can't be sure…" Zeniba trailed off and pondered with a slight frown.

At the mention of her dragon friend, Chihiro leaped up and begged the old witch earnestly, "Please, Obaa-chan, what happened to Haku? Tell me what to do. I want to help him."

Zeniba smiled sadly. "I suppose Kamajii told you about the memory curse?"

Chihiro nodded.

The old witch sighed. "I had the same feeling. His eyes were so cold, so...powerful. And once he mentioned his revenge, I became certain, though not of the cause. It must have been an extremely gifted caster, and spiteful too. But you could just be…"she glanced at Chihiro thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to do this, dear child? I must warn that 'tis will not be an easy task. Much more difficult than you presume. I'm sure, so think carefully."

"Hai." Chihiro said firmly. She wasn't a child anymore.

Zeniba nodded. "Then, Chihiro, what would you give to accomplish it? What if I said that you would be leaving the human world for an indefinite long time? Possibly years? What if I said that you would be leaving all your friends and family? What if I said that you would be leaving behind the warmth and comfort of your own secure life? You've crossed paths with the spirits before, but are you ready to truly mingle with malice and dance with spite? Would you give up so much for the dangers of this world and one boy?"

Zeniba was merciless with her mild taunts, yet Chihiro knew the old witch was just trying to confuse and confound. And she was pretty good at it too. However…

Chihiro smiled and looked straight into Zeniba's wise eyes. "I didn't come here just to go back again, obaa-chan. I've seen this world countless times every night until I almost tried to forget it. But now's my chance to relive my dreams. I don't know why, but I have a feeling this world is where I really belong; not in the human world, not anywhere else. If I turned around, back through the tunnel, I'm sure my inner mind would torment me again. As for the warmth and comfort of my life, I don't think there's anything warm or comfortable about living in a place where no one understands you. I've made a wonderful family and a lifetime worth of memories here, and I want more. Moreover, Haku is more than just a boy; he's a brilliant friend; someone who helped and stuck with me through thick and thin; someone who opened me up to the beauty of this world and to myself as well. In short, he's someone whom I would willingly lend my strength to. So yes, I will do this."

Chihiro watched as a myriad of expressions flew across the old witch's wrinkled face. She felt like she had just delivered a long sermon to a five-hundred (maybe more) year old grandmother. In other words, Chihiro felt really awkward. But then, Zeniba smiled fondly at her.

"You are really a strange girl, Chihiro. Very well, I shall tell you about your quest." The old witch laughed.

"Ne, obaa-chan, ano…"Chihiro scratched her head sheepishly. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Hai."

"Obaa-chan…can you pass a message to my parents? Although I really want to be here, I don't want them to worry their heads off either. But I can't think of any excuses. If I tell them the truth, they would probably become even more upset. One minute later and all the police and psychiatrists would be standing on the front porch. So, I was wondering if you could, you know, make something up." She finished lamely.

Zeniba chuckled. "How about I cast a memory spell? For a good cause, of course." She winked.

Chihiro brightened and nodded.

"Concentrate on them now." Zeniba murmured. The old witch touched the purple hairband holding up the girl's soft brown hair and muttered a fairly complex pattern until a faint glow set into the fabric. Chihiro squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the familiar faces of her parents. She could hear their distant voices in her head, growing softer and softer. Suddenly she felt a sharp tinge of guilt. But before it could fully materialize, the spell ended.

Zeniba released her hair. "There you go, dear child. I've modified their memories so that your absence shall be replaced with illusions. And do not feel at fault; you have a truly beautiful heart. I am sure if they were here, your parents would be very proud of you." The old witch smiled. "This hairband shall be your link to the human world now."

"Arigato." Chihiro said softly, fingering the beautiful band.

"Now," Zeniba leaned back in her large chair, "do you remember the shadow spirit who attacked you?"

"Takano of the Southern Plateau." There was no hesitation in Chihiro's answer, only fear. The roof rattled. Zeniba looked up, and then back at Chihiro again.

The old witch sighed. "You should know, dear child, that most shadow spirits are born. However, there are a few only made as a punishment for the breach of an ancient law. Once a spirit, no matter how powerful, has committed such a crime, he is stripped of all and transformed eternally into a half-being with only the power of escaping; only the force of shadows. As such, certain shadow spirits have a 'tsumi' kanji engraved on their masks, marking them of their great sin. Such spirits also have no awareness of themselves; with only a small crumb of their soul to sustain their lives, they prowl the hidden world, searching fruitlessly for power beyond their reach which would restore them to their former glory. Sadly, this is what an eternal sentence feels like. Even death is kinder."

"No face is such a spirit, as is Takano. But No Face was fortunate enough to have met you and get rehabilitated. Although he still retains the form, at least he is happy and free now. By the way, he is out gathering some herbs for me right now in case you're wondering." Zeniba smiled warmly at Chihiro. "However, Takano had no such luck. He was a splendid cave spirit once, but no one can defy the deities. According to many sources, he had tried multiple ways to regain his grandeur, but all to no avail. So when a human set foot here," at this, she turned to Chihiro, "I understand that he could not suppress the desire to capture you and find a way to recover his powers. That was why he attacked you tonight."

Chihiro could not utter a single word; her throat was suddenly very dry.

"One more thing you should know, dear child." Zeniba continued, "The object of Haku's revenge, of which I had mentioned earlier, is indeed Takano of the Southern Plateau. These two had crossed swords many many years ago, when Haku was still just a mere child. Yet, despite his age and experience, Takano had lost, if only by an inch. Haku had been severely injured in the process, and his river suffered great damage. From then on, he had always been bitter about the cave spirit, who had initiated the battle in order to expand his territory. However, these feelings had been largely suppressed; until a memory curse was placed on him which I presume only emphasized certain recollections and banished the rest from his mind. Therefore, the extreme emotions; anger and agony; interfered with Haku's judgment and now, he flies over the lands and seas just to seek meaningless revenge. And I believe the only reason he might have projected himself onto your world is solely for curiosity's sake and a chance to gather information about Takano."

Chihiro gasped as salty tears threatened to spill. "I don't understand…obaa-chan. …This isn't the Haku I know. He would never hurt anyone, especially not for revenge…" she whispered.

Zeniba lowered her eyes. "I'm afraid it's true, dear child. He is much too blinded, though I cannot completely put the blame on him."

But Chihiro continued to shake her head furiously. "No, it can't be! Haku would never do such a thing!" she cried, trying to convince herself as much as Zeniba.

"Chihiro, the gods have sent you here for a reason," the old witch said gently. "Do you know what that is?"

The girl shook her head.

"Bring Haku back," Zeniba said simply and smiled.

Chihiro straightened immediately at this. Something clicked. Something important. What was she doing, sniffling helplessly like a lost child? It wasn't going to solve anything at all! Why couldn't she just accept the cruel reality? This time there would be no one at her side to guide her through; no one to give her pointers, so _stop crying dammit! _She nodded. "Hai."

* * *

The wind picked up a little, rustling the thatched roof. At the same time, the window broke open and a swift figure bolted in. Chihiro swerved around and came face to face with an all-too-familiar boy. He stood by the door, clad in a simple white kimono, long forest green hair tied back into two low ponytails. The pale moonlight danced off his patrician features, highlighting every aspect of his refined face, especially his eyes, glinting like pieces of emerald ice in the night, making him look beautifully ethereal. Haku.

Chihiro could only gawk at him, who looked so different from the Haku in her world; more divine; more powerful; more dangerous. Zeniba, on the other hand, did not appear to be ruffled by his sudden appearance at all. Then again, the old witch could always predict something six hours before it actually happened.

"Ah, Kohaku. What a pleasant surprise," Zeniba remarked, and…was that amusement in her voice?

Unperturbed, Haku strode towards the old witch calmly and said in an impassive tone, "I refuse."

"Hmm?"

"I refuse."

"Pardon?"

"Do you enjoy taunting me?"

Sighing, Zeniba stood up and faced Haku, who towered above her for more than a head.

"Kohaku, you could reap many benefits from this alliance," she said in a professional manner.

Haku kept his pokerfaced expression. "How so? She will be nothing but a burden." At this, he turned his gaze to Chihiro, who stood stock-still. _What the heck are they talking about? What burden? And how the hell is Haku even here?! _

Zeniba exhaled slowly. "Chihiro will be more use than you think. You may not remember, but she has helped you a great deal five years ago. You were almost at death's feet and it was her who brought you back to your senses. She was a splendid friend to you."

"I have no need for such petty companionship," Haku stated coldly. Chihiro's breath caught. She might not have taken in any of their conversation, but that tone was more than enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. It was a troubling thought.

Zeniba regarded him blandly. "Then think of it this way," she said. "Takano is a shadow spirit. And I'm sure you are aware that such beings are truly elusive creatures; if they do not want to be found, they can never be. The shadows or this swamp, of the forests, and all around could be their watch points. However," she looked over at Chihiro and gave a small reassuring smile, "the object of your search is very interested in this girl here. As you probably know, Chihiro is a human, and Takano would definitely be curious about her powers."

"I wonder about that. Humans are truly weak creatures," Haku said coolly.

"Takano is no fool. He knows to twist the ways." Zeniba answered levelly.

The boy inclined his head slightly.

"You're suggesting using her to lure out Takano."

"Exactly," Zeniba said, pleased with the wind direction.

Chihiro felt so much in the background. The Kamis really did enjoy toying with her patience. She had absolutely no idea what the two spirits were having a meeting about, and from the sound of it, what she had to do with it. She sighed. The long-winded math lessons back in high school seemed so dreamy then.

Haku turned to Chihiro briefly and regarded her with an odd expression.

"And in return?"

Chihiro just stared.

The old witch shrugged. "Protect her."

Haku let out a soft growl. "And if I should refuse?"

"Your memory is a part of you, Kohaku," Zeniba answered calmly. "All your past experiences and knowledge are your strength, and if you lose them, it will only be your weakness, like a gap unfilled in your capacity. Besides," she added nonchalantly, "do you not want to take revenge on the being who managed to strike through your defenses?"

The boy did not answer, but his eyes took on a slightly unnerving glint.

"I only have a simple request for you to ensure her survival here, Kohaku. Surely you are able to do that," Zeniba said, looking expectantly at him.

There was a long moment of silence. Haku just stood there with his emerald eyes devoid of expression until Chihiro almost thought that he had forgotten the question. However, his emotionless reply came a heartbeat later.

"Fine."

Zeniba seemed to sag with obvious relief.

"We shall leave at dawn," Haku said and strode out through the door, taking off into the studded night sky.

Chihiro stood stunned for a minute before rounding on Zeniba with an incredulous stare.

"What…was _that _all about?" she demanded.

The old witch laughed. "Let's just say that Haku has kindly consented to your help. You'll have a long day ahead, dear child."

* * *

Author's note: I apologise to those of you who wanted Haku to get his memory back, but this fic is actually about the gradual relationship between Haku and Chihiro, well at least for the next few chapters. So i need his memory loss to be in it, and the story may seem a bit angsty at first, but i promise it'll get better. Eventually, he will remember everything, so don't worry:) Pls r&r! I really need your reviews! Really, really need it if you want the fic to improve!


	6. Author's note

Author's note~

Sorry to disappoint those who thought that this is a new chapter :p Actually, i just thought that the first few chapters of The Cure were sorta weird, at least to me though. So i thought of putting it on hiatus a bit for me to revise the storyline. But first...(imagine drumrolls)

I **NEED **your opinions!

Once again, all sorts of reviews are welcomed. And yes, even flames if anyone feels the need to. (Reminder: to the story, NOT to this author's note!).


End file.
